09/19/2011 - Upper Dog River

Launch: Home
Launch Cost: Free
Destination: Upper Dog River to see how well the shoreline was cleaned during the Coastal Cleanup. (Wishful thinking meets reality.)
Distance: 9 miles (round trip)
Pedal time: 2 hours
Weather: Temp 72 degrees, Winds 10-15 mph out of the east. Water temp 83 degrees. Mostly sunny. Tide starting to fall. Current negligible. It was a beautiful morning.

Header image is a sunrise photo. Had a perfect silhouette of a great blue heron in the camera view and the heron flew off just before the camera could focus. Here it is flying away.

Sunrise while kayaking on Dog River.

Sunrise while kayaking on Dog River closer to bank.

Wow, what a difference it makes when someone maintains the property.

I talked to a kayaker this past weekend who mentioned they once kayaked up Dog River and after seeing all the trash they decided to turn around because it was sickening to see and they did not want to see any more. Even though the Coastal Cleanup removed plenty of trash, here is what I saw along some of the shoreline in Upper Dog River today.

While you can see wildlife in Upper Dog River, it can be painful to look at due to the surrounding trash, so, I certainly understand why people prefer not to kayak in Dog River. 

Trash detracts from the photos of wildlife. Ironically, at the Coastal Cleanup this past weekend, hot dogs were served on styrofoam plates instead of biodegradable paper plates. The river litter problem won't be solved until the use of the offending materials ends. Plastic bottles need a deposit law enacted. Styrofoam just needs to be outlawed, period. Why ban styrofoam and who else has banned it?

Had a nice cooling headwind on the way home.